[SF] The Princess and the Snake
She was the most precious thing to him.
For her, he would catch the stars and steal the moon, at least he thought he would. The truth was that he couldn’t even bring her to see her favourite theme park mascot. He was in her room telling the tale of the princess and the snake again. His pinky twitched as he saw the moment flash through his mind. Even at the very end, his words still fell short.
He never liked lying; his mother said a man was as good as his word, and he lived by it, for the most part. People called him a grifter, a man without morals. But was he? Maybe he was just more optimistic; a glass half empty is also half full, and a promise half broken is also one that was half kept. That’s right, he told himself every time he made someone sign the contract.
‘It’ll work out for some of them, the rest will learn a lesson for a good price.’
His philosophy consoled him enough to show up at a job he loathed. There were days when he would not see the sun, and weeks when he didn’t change clothes. But everything would be worth it once he saw the smile on his daughter’s face when they could finally go. It didn’t sit right with him, but the ends would justify the means.
‘I’ll get us the tickets, and we’ll go on your birthday.’
He kept half of that promise.
And his whole world shattered.
The doctor said it would take a miracle for her to last another year. Funny, after years of preaching faith, it was now his turn. He did not believe in miracles; there was always a trick behind it.
‘For you, I would catch the stars and steal the moon!’ Those idiots were so amazed when they saw him holding the cheap plastic stars they bought online.
He remembered talking to one of them. Surprisingly, the man knew there was a trick behind it.
‘Then why did you still applaud?’ He questioned.
‘You put on a great show, and you gave people hope.’ The man said.
‘Miracles don’t always come in the way you think they do.’
He instinctively reached out for the stars as he gazed at the night sky.
'If there is a god out there… Please, I beg you… make her wish come true.'
And just this once, a miracle happened.
‘What’s the trick?’ he asked.
They moved across hallways and spiralled down staircases until no one else was near. And only then, far from the sight of peers, did the doctor dare reveal his secret:
A cryogenic chamber fueled by bureaucratic oversight. Flickering lights stretched along a corridor that seemed to go on forever, its edges softened by a thin, drifting haze. A faint hum lingered in the air.
Here lies a hopeful crowd, frozen in a moment of bliss.
‘A very long lucid dream, she’ll have full control of the world around her and do whatever she wants.’
'She will be happier there than she will ever be here.' The doctor said.
He felt redeemed by the idea, especially after proclaiming its existence for many years – Eternal Paradise.
For a second, he questioned whether he was doing this for her or himself. He scanned the cold, metallic room. Capsules stretched around him, each one holding a stranger. The air was chilled, tinged with a faint musk. He touched the glass, its smooth surface unyielding beneath his fingers, and blinked, struggling to adjust not just to the dim light but to what it all meant.
What did it mean to live? Would she actually be happy living in a virtual world?
She wouldn’t know it, but could he live with it?
‘Maybe,’ he thought.
He stared at his unconscious daughter as she lay there peacefully. His pinky twitched again. A man was only as good as his word, and he had promised her that they would live happily ever after.
'I understand.' He told the doctor firmly.
He hooked her pinky one last time.
'Sweet dreams, my princess.'